SUV Review: 2010 Volvo XC60

Crossover plays it safe

Originally published: August 10, 2011

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San Francisco – A very long time ago, when I had hair (the world, according to the experts, was flat, too), I tested the first motorcycle with anti-lock brakes. It was 1988 and BMW’s K100RS with ABS was the sensation of the year.

It promised much. After all, locking the brakes of an automobile caused one to skid merrily along. Lock the front wheel on a motor bike and one tended to fall on his or her head. Any technology that prevented this had to be a big boon to motorcycle safety.

The problem was in testing its efficacy. There I was on the German autobahn, speeding along at velocities that would give OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino fits. It was pouring, so traction was suspect. Plus, I was in unfamiliar territory, riding on roads I’d never seen before. In other words, it was a perfect occasion to sample the wonders of motorcycle anti-lock brakes.

The only problem was that I couldn’t summon up enough, er, brass to squeeze the front brake lever hard enough to lock the wheel. Falling off a motorcycle is never a fun event. Falling off at 160 kilometres an hour on the autobahn while being tailgated by an impatient driver in a turbo Porsche was even less amusing. So, you’ll understand it took me about 15 attempts at deliberate over-braking before I actually grabbed the front brake lever hard enough to activate the ABS. That I am still here and able to type with both hands is proof that it worked, but the experience taught me that you sometimes have to have a little faith.

This brings me to Volvo’s new City Safe system. It is basically a laser-guided system that "sees" large objects — such as stopped cars, walls and even pylons — in front of Volvo’s new XC60 crossover and automatically applies the brakes to stop before a collision occurs. According to Volvo, the system so effectively prevents front end collisions below 30 kilometres an hour that the City Safe-equipped XC60 is the safest car it has ever produced.

Using some soft balloons moulded to look like stationary automobiles, the guinea pig City Safe stopped the XC60 automatically every time we approached the balloon. It’s not a gentle process, however. Volvo calibrates the system to apply 50% of the XC60’s maximum braking power and, since you’re so distracted you don’t even notice that large object looming in your windshield, it’s a bit of a shock when City Safe jams on the brakes.

Although City Safe is the new technology Volvo will highlight in its XC60 marketing, it is far from the only defence in the crossover’s arsenal of safety toys. Air bags abound, there’s a radar-based, long-distance collision warning system that supplements City Safe’s activities, a pre-tensioning system for the seat belts, whiplash protection and even a little computerized widget that shuts down all the vehicle warnings — such as "windshield wiper level low" — if one of the urgent safety systems is activated. Truth be told, if you get hurt in a Volvo XC60, you’re either a very bad driver or very unlucky.

So, the XC60 is safe. But is it sexy? To the largely jaded public, even a rock solid attribute such as safety has to be dressed up in a bit of lingerie.

For the most part, the XC60 succeeds. Indeed, it is by some margin the best Volvo introduced in recent years. Sporting 281 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, the T6 turbocharged in-line six is more powerful than previous Volvo units, accelerating the XC60 with something close to alacrity. Typical of its straight-six-cylinder format, it’s smoother than any competitive V6, but it’s not quite as melodious as the similar twin-turbo in-line six that powers many BMWs. Nonetheless, it’s the best engine in Volvo’s lineup.

Volvo also makes much of the XC60’s sporting chassis. To the degree that it handles better than other Volvos — even the lighter and lower sedans and wagons — it is the company’s best effort so far. However, like the engine, it doesn’t quite handle as well as the BMW X3, the competitor Volvo Canada is targeting. Despite an adjustable steering system, the feel through the wheel is somewhat lacking, though the suspension is firm enough to promote spirited cornering.

Where the XC60 gets it all back and then some is the interior’s execution.

Attractive in the black and tan leather version I sampled, the XC60 also sports one of the industry’s better centre stacks, combining the simplicity of previous Volvo versions with a fit and finish worthy of an Audi. The aluminum-finished buttons, switchgear and trim are the very best I’ve seen and the matte light blond wood trim is elegant. There’s plenty of room in either row of seats and there’s even an available seat heater for the rear bench. The only downside is a relatively high lift-over height for the cargo area.

Volvo Canada says the XC60 will start at around $50,000 when it arrives later this spring. That may seem a trifle high, but it is the best Volvo in quite some time — and quite possibly the safest.